Fruit and vegetable slicer.



No. 875,473. PATENTED DEG. 311, 1907. J. B. WALSTON.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLB SLIG'ER.

APPLIOATION FILED 717111129, 1907.

772W Y www Q Q MAM TH: Nonms PETERS cu.. wAsHlNarbN. D. c,

J EVERETT wALsroN, or LANSING, MICHIGAN.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLE SLICER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907'.

Application file- June 29. 1907. Serial No. 381,463.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J EVERETT WALsToN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lansing, in the county of Ingham and State of Michigan, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Fruit and Vegetable Slicers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fruit and vegetable slicers,the object of the invention-being to provide a simple, convenient andinexpensive construction of device of this character which may bereadily manipulated for slicing fruits or vegetables into straight orcorrugated strips or long and narrow strips of the so-called shoe-stringtype.

The invention consists of the novel features of construction,combination and arrangement of parts` hereinafter fully described andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a side elevation of a fruit and vegetable slicer embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof on line2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates a segmental disk orplate, which may be in practice approximately of quadrantal form and hasits outer curved edge beaded, as shown at 2, and its body portionperforated for the passage of a pivot pin 3 at a point constituting thecenter from which the arc of curvature of the beaded edge 2 is struck.'The inner edge of the disk is prolonged in the form of an elongatedstrip 4 of concavo convex contour throughout its length to provide ahandle of the requisite strength, which handle is formed with an opening5 to adapt the device to be conveniently suspended from a suitablesupport. At the outer end of the handle is a concavoconvex extension '6constituting a coring blade, the side edges of which are preferablysharpened to adapt said blade to also serve the function of a peelingknife.

Formed in the disk are radial slots 7 and 8 extending in oppositedirections from a point adjacent the pivot pin to the beaded edge 2 nearthe extremities of the latter. One of the walls of the slot 8 is bentlaterally and shaped to provide a straight cutting knife 9 projectingfrom one of the sides of the disk, while one of the walls of the slot 8is similarly bent and shaped to provide a corrugated cutting knife 10projecting from the opposite side of the disk, the corrugations of whichknife 10 may be of any suitable form in cross-section. The disk is alsostruck up to provide a curved rib 11 extending parallel with the beadededge 2 from the central longitudinal line of the disk to the inner wallcf the slot 8 in line with the depressed portion of one of thecorrugations of the knife 10, said rib being designed to perform thedual function of a guide and cutting gage, as hereinafter described.

A swinging follower frame is provided and comprises arms 12 and 13arranged on opposite sides of the disk and pivotally mounted at theirinner ends upon the pin 3. Each of these arms comprises a strip of sheetmetal bent to form a body portion covering the outer side of a bar 14and outwardly and inwardly extending flanoes 15 and 16 at the front andrear of the body portion, considering the direction of movement of saidarm relative to the coacting cutting knife. As

shown, the rear flange 16 is bent over upon the rear edge of the bar 14to strengthen and stiffen the same, while the front fiange 15 projectslaterally in an outward direction to lie'fiush or nearly so with thefront face of the bar to increase the effective Width of the surface ofthe follower designed to bear upon the portion of fruit or vegetable tobe fed toward the cutting knife.

Each arm is provided at its upper and lower ends with ears 17 and 18through which fastenings may pass to unite the arm and bar, and the ear18 projects sufficiently to form a pivot portion to engage the pin 3.The swinging frame is completed by the provision of a single piece ofwire having its ends clamped and secured between the inner ears 18 ofthe respective opposite follower arms and inner ends of the bars thereofand its central portion bent to provide a guide loop or yoke 19 engagingthe beaded edge 2, and between this yoke center and its respective endsthe wire is looped to form an operating handle 20 for each follower, bywhich the follower frame as a whole may be swung from either side of thedisk. In order to securely sustain and embrace the wire, the angularportions thereof connecting the yoke 19 with the loop handles 20 are eX-tended between the outer ends of the bars 14 and outer ears 17 of therespective arms and are clamped and secured by the latter to the twofollowers. The bar y14 of the follower arm 12 is grooved on its innerface,

` strips.

as indicated at 21 to receive the rib 11 and allow said bar to move inclose contact with the disk and to be guided by the rib.

In the use of the device for cutting corrugated strips from fruits orvegetables, the vegetable is rst cut or divided into portions ofsuitable size and the portions individually sliced by placing eachportion upon the face of the disk from which the knife projects betweensaid knife and the follower member l2 and swinging said member towardthe knife by the coacting handle 20, in which operation the knife l()will slice off a corrugated strip, which will discharge through the slot8. In cutting straight slices the device is reversed, the portion of thefruit or vegew table placed against the opposite face of the diskbetween the follower member 18 and the knife 9 and said follower memberswung by its handle to force the said portion toward the knife 9,whereby a straight slice will be cut off and discharged throu h the slot7. In slicing the fruit or vegetabIe into shoestring strips, acorrugated slice is first cut off the portion of the fruit or vegetableby the knife 10, and then by resting the corrugated face of the portionagainst the disk so that the rib 11-will project into one of the roovesof the corrugations therein and then eeding said portion forward in theusual way, the elevated'portions of the corrugations 10 sever therib-like projections from the fruit or vegetable in the form of longnarrow This action is secured by reason of the fact that the rib 11 willset the grooves and ribs of the corrugations in the vegetable and knifeout of registering relation, so that the elevated portions of thecorrugations -of the knife will cut away the ribbed portions previouslyformed upon the fruit or vegetable in the operation of cutting thefluted slice.

It will thus be seen that my invention provides a device of simpleconstruction for the purpose stated which is convenient and effective inuse and may be manufactured and sold at a comparatively low cost.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent iis:-

1. A fruit or vegetable slicer comprising a disk carrying a pivot memberand having slots radiating therefrom, plain and corrugated cuttingknives along the margins of the respective slots and extending fromopposite sides of the disk, a swinging frame supported by said pivotmember and carrying followers on opposite sides of the disk forcooperation with said knives, and handles applied to the frame forswinging the same from either side of the disk.

2. A fruit or vegetable slicer comprising a disk having an arcuate edgeand carrying a pivot member constituting the center from which the arcof curvature of said edge is struck, said disk being further providedwith slots on opposite sides of the center thereof radially arrangedbetween the pivot member and curved edge, cutting knives along themargins of the slots and projecting from the opposite faces of the disk,a swinging frame pivotally supported by said pivot member and havingportions on opposite sides of the disk connected by a yoke in guidedengagement with the curved edge, followers carried by said portions forcoaction with the respective knives, and handles applied to the frameportions, whereby the frame may be I y swung from either side of thedisk.

3. A fruit or vegetable slicer comprising a disk provided. with radialslots, plain and corrugated cutting knives along said slots andprojecting from the opposite faces of the disk, a swinging framecarrying a pair of follower members arranged on opposite sides of thedisk for respective cooperation with said knives, and means for oerating the frame from either side of the dis z.

4. A fruit or vegetable slicer comprising a disk provided with radialslots, plain and corrugated cutting knives at the outer sides of theslots and extending from opposite sides of the disk, a swin ing framepivotally mounted u on the disr and in guided connection wit the edgethereof, said frame including followers on opposite sides of the diskfor coaction with the respective knives, and handles forming part of theframe on opposite sides of the disk.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J EVERETT WALSTON.

Witnesses:

D. J. GILLAM, BEDA M. FoRNBLoM.

